


My Name is Tom

by glymr



Series: Sawdust and Spangles [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Collaboration, Gen, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-23
Updated: 2010-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glymr/pseuds/glymr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Kid, you can't *really* run away and join the circus," said Pop Haly in what was, for him, a gentle voice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Name is Tom

**Author's Note:**

> iesika knew that I had this idea and asked me to write a snippet for her. Then others got in on the fun.
> 
> *Important*: I seriously messed with the ages to make this work. Tim is six and Dick is nine, here. Dick's parents are still alive.

It was a strange tableau. Pop Haly glared down at the tiny boy. The boy, in his torn, dirty clothes and worn shoes, gazed up at him unflinchingly.

"How old did you say you were, son?"

"Six," replied the boy.

"And what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," said the boy calmly.

Dick watched with interest, peering from the trailer window.

"Now look here, son," began Pop, but the boy interrupted him quickly.

"My name is T-Tom, he said. Tom. Jackson."

"Kid, you can't *really* run away and join the circus," said Pop Haly in what was, for him, a gentle voice.

"I don't have a home," said the boy. "My mom and dad are dead." He met Pop Haly's eyes steadily. "I want to join the circus."

Pop Haly's eyes narrowed, and he took his cigar out of his mouth and rolled it between his fingers for a moment before sticking it back in and chewing on it. "See that big metal trough over there?" he said, jerking his chin in the direction of the temporary elephant enclosure.

"Yes, sir."

"There's a faucet over there," he gestured in the opposite direction, a good 10 yards from the trough.

"Yes, sir."

"I want you to use those buckets -" he pointed at two big metal buckets sitting next to the trough "- to fill that trough to the top, so that the elephants have enough to drink."

Tom nodded. "I understand."

Pop Haly gave a nod, and strode away.

The boy picked up one of the buckets and carried it to the faucet, which wasn't much more than a metal tap sticking out of the ground. He filled the bucket, but found that he couldn't lift it. He dumped out half the water, but it was still too heavy. So he dumped out a little more, until the bucket was about a third full, and then began dragging it to the trough. When he reached the huge trough, he hoisted the bucket and tipped it over the edge. The water made a small splash. He lowered the bucket and began to walk back to the faucet.

When his parents called Dick into the big top to train with them, the boy was still walking back and forth, dragging the bucket behind him.

When they broke for lunch, the boy was still stumbling between the spigot and the trough. Dick frowned. Hadn't the water level in the trough been higher before?

As he watched, Elinore sucked up a good portion of the boy's work. "Oh no!" cried Dick. "That's not fair!"

"Fair?" said his mom.

Dick explained about the boy and pointed. "But Elinore's drinking up all the water!"

His mom and dad looked at the boy with interest. "Pop's trying to teach the boy a lesson," said his father. "He wants him to see that the circus isn't all fun and games; it's hard work."

Dick frowned. "But he's *been* working! He's been working all day!"

"Look," said his father, pointing. Elinore was taking another drink, and the boy reached out a hesitant hand to pat her on the trunk before turning around and heading back to the faucet.

"Has he even eaten anything today?" asked his mother, sounding worried. They watched as he filled the bucket partway.

"I don't think so," said Dick.

"Pop wouldn't starve the boy," said his father. "Dick, go invite him to eat with us. He's certainly earned a meal."

Dick didn't wait to be told twice. He jumped up and ran across to where the boy trekked back and forth. Tom looked up at him, his eyes widening.

"Hey," said Dick. "I'm Dick. Want to come eat with us?"

"Eat? With _you_?" The boy swayed forward, then frowned. "But I need to do this-"

"Everyone in the circus breaks for lunch," said Dick airly. "C'mon."

"I...okay. Let me just drop off this bucket." Tom hoisted the bucket and poured it into the trough, which was about a quarter full. Elinore drank some more of it, and Dick grinned and pet her trunk.

"You shouldn't be drinking all of Tom's hard work!" he told her.

"It's all right," said Tom. "That's what I'm doing it for, right?" He smiled a little. "He's thirsty, too."

Dick laughed. "She's a she, not a he!"

"Oh," said Tom shyly. "I...I should have looked. What's her name?"

"Elinore," said Dick. "Now c'mon, or all the food will be gone!" He pulled the bucket from the boy's hands and put it down, then, grabbing his arm, tugged him along willy-nilly.

* * *

At sunset, it was time for the show to begin.

On his way to the tent, Dick stopped and watched as Pop Haly sighed and said to the boy, "All right, son. It's showtime, now. You stay backstage and don't get in anybody's way, you hear?"

Putting the bucket back in its place next to the trough, Tom said faintly, "Yes, sir."

Once he got into the ring, Dick forgot all about the boy...he forgot *everything* but the feel of flying through the air, the sound of the crowd, yelling and cheering and gasping with amazement and delight. It was always so much different from training.

It wasn't until the show was over that he remembered the kid. He searched around for him, but he was nowhere to be found...until he went backstage, and heard the sound of quiet sobs coming from a shadowed corner.

"What's wrong?" he said. Tom looked up at him, his face wet with tears. He hadn't cried all day, even when they'd come back from lunch and the trough had been nearly empty. Dick had offered to help him, then, but Tom had just shaken his head and picked up the bucket.

"It's my job," he'd said. "You have your own job."

Now he looked up at Dick and rubbed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. "I-I _missed_ it," he said. "I wanted to see you, but I fell _asleep_ . I wanted to *see*. He was supposed to wake me up when you came on. He _promised_!"

"Who promised?" asked Dick curiously.

"Th-the clown," said Tom, valiantly trying to swallow his sobs. "The one with th-the floppy bowtie..."

"Oh," said Dick. "Yeah...he's kind of flaky." He hugged the smaller boy, who seemed startled. "I'm sorry you missed it," said Dick. "You can see it tomorrow night, though."

"If...if Mr. Haly lets me stay," said Tom shakily.

Dick smiled at him. "I think he expected you to give up by lunch," he said. He pulled back and took Tim's hands in his own. They were covered in blisters.

"Come on," said Dick. "Let's wrap these with some tape."

* * *

The second day, Pop Haly had Tom shoveling elephant poop. The third day he had him cleaning under the stands, sweeping up sawdust and popcorn and scraping gum off the undersides of the benches.

By the end of the week, the kid had earned the sympathy of the entire circus. Every night that they had a show, someone would make sure to wake him up to watch Dick's act (it became common to hear the words, "Graysons are on next, someone get Tom," backstage).

The tattooed lady pronounced him 'adorable' and hugged him, much to his obvious embarrassment. Elinor the elephant got along with him almost as well as she did with Dick. The clowns slapped him on the back and the lion tamer teased him about feeding him to the lions.

Tom took it all in stride. He never complained, did everything Pop Haly (or anyone else) told him to, and otherwise stayed out of everyone's way. But whenever he had a rare moment to himself, he could be found hanging around the Graysons' trailer, or watching them train in the big top, or eating with them in the canteen.

At the end of the week, Dick wasn't really surprised to come back to the trailer and find Pop Haly sitting across from his parents. They looked at him and his mother held out her hand. He ran to her.

"Dickie," she said, "Pop Haly has decided to let Tom stay."

Dick's face lit up. "That's great!" he said.

Pop shook his head. "Never seen a kid so determined," he said. "I figured he'd quit the first day, but he's lasted all week. You need that kind of stubbornness to make it in the circus." He sighed. "Still, taking in a kid like him, even if he really is an orphan, could be risky for us." Lifting his head, he met John's eyes. "He's dark haired and blue-eyed, like both of you..." He hesitated.

Mary spoke up. "No one would guess he wasn't ours," she said, and Pop nodded. Turning to Dick, she said, "How would you feel about having a little brother?"

"Oh _boy!_ " Dick shouted. He pulled away from his mom and ran out of the trailer, calling, "Tom! Hey, Tommy!" Tom materialized from the shadows between the trailers as if by magic. Dick grabbed him and hugged him hard. "Pop's gonna let you stay and mom and dad want you to stay with us isn't that great? We're gonna be _brothers!_ " he said in a rush.

Tom gasped and lifted his arms to wrap around Dick's waist. "He is? We-we are?"

"Yes!" He swung the smaller boy off his feet and around in a circle through the air.  
  
~~~

([ **batstalker**](http://batstalker.livejournal.com/) drew an *adorable* doodle to go with the story!  *tacklehugs her*  Thank you, hon!)  



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